The Moon's Tear
by Life Prince
Summary: After the events of a night in a festival, Rukia finds herself stuck in a curse of time jumps between the past and the present!  Unfortunately, unless she can figure out how to stop the spell b4 her body collapses, Rukia will die. Can she save herself?
1. Chapter 1

I opened my eyes to a blue sky framed by the slim stalks of grass...the cool breeze flowed through me and a slow smile spread across my face. I felt strangely at peace.

"Hey, you're in the way," a voice said with a hint of annoyance. Startled, I shot up and found myself face-to-face with a boy with strikingly orange hair. A blush heated my face, though I didn't understand why at first. He scowled and jerked his head at where I was sitting, hands stuffed in his jean pockets.

"That's my spot,"

Something snapped in my mind and I grabbed the boy around the neck in a chokehold.

"Who says?"

"Ouch! Lemme go, crazy bitch!" he yelped as he struggled.

"Not until you apologize, little punk," I grunted, thinking that he reminded me a lot of someone...

Twisting under and out, he broke free, and gripping my wrists, spun me around and forced me to my knees. I barely managed to blink in surprise when he leaned down close to my ear, his hot breath on my neck.

"Who's a punk?" he breathed in a whisper. I turned a dark red. Unfortunately, the stupid boy happened to notice.

"Whoa, whoa, don't tell me you're attracted to me?" he cried, letting me go in his surprise.

I spun on him and knocked him on the head. He blinked, and I could hardly believe it. We were the same height! Then the boy fainted and fell onto me.

"Nn! Even though...we're the same height...you're still so much heavier than me," I grumbled as I set him down on the ground.

_His body fell limp and rolled into mine. Relieved, overjoyed, and thankful, I stroked his cheek as his head rested on my lap. The rain still fell, but I couldn't feel the sadness._

"_Thank you for not dying," I whispered, tears in my eyes._

My eyes refocused on the boy before me and I felt like my breath had been knocked out of me. Could it be..?

"Ichigo?" I whispered. Bright orange hair, a strong jaw, fair skin, and...

His brown eyes slowly fluttered open and my heart sped up.

"How do you know my name?" he murmured, eyes wide with wonder as he studied my face.


	2. Chapter 2

I gulped, my face flushing red, and as I saw my fingertips beginning to fade away, I leaned down and pressed my lips to his. I hesitantly slipped my tongue into his mouth. Surprisingly, he didn't resist...

White flashed and I closed my eyes, surrendering to my senses...

FWOOSH!

"...I don't get it, what do you want to do?" Ichigo asked, staring at me intently. Without meaning to, I turned red and jumped up. Evidently, this reaction alarmed everyone as their gazes shot towards me.

"Rukia?" Ishida prompted curiously, "Something the matter?"

"Er...I have something to attend to. Please excuse me." Ichigo's face appeared lost as I hurriedly ran out of the room. Seeing the older Ichigo moments after I had spontaneously kissed the younger one wasn't a good idea; all this blushing and heart-pounding was going to kill me. I leaned against the wall, gasping, and slid down to the floor with a moan.

"I can't believe I did that! What the hell am I thinking... I couldn't help it. I just..." Tears formed in my eyes.

"Are you okay?" My eyes shot up to Renji's tall form. My heart sank as I smiled half-heartedly.

"I'm fine..."

He sat down with a shrug.

"Don't look fine. Something troubling you?"

I gazed downward sullenly and sighed. Was something troubling me? Apart from kissing the person I liked when he was younger and confusing him in the present, everything was perfect! Just perfect. My eyes wandered to the moon tattoo on the underside of my wrist. It had began to fade into a half-moon. _I wonder what that means..._I thought. _Will my random time jumps stop when it completely fades away? A "new moon"?_

"You know, maybe you should stop chasing Ichigo. He...doesn't seem to be interested in you like that," Renji murmured and shot me a meaningful glance.

"I-I-we're just good friends! I don't know what you're talking about," I stammered immediately, "There's no way we're in that kind of relationship!"

"I see..." Renji stood up, and dusting his hands off, he smiled. "Well, if nothing's bothering you, then maybe you should just get more sleep."

"Right, more sleep," I said with a forced laugh, "Could always do with more of that." As Renji's towering form disappeared in the distance, I gathered myself up with a scowl.

"Damn this! I can't take it! What's going on? Why do I keep jumping to the past? Who did this to me?"

"Rukia!" I turned and Urahara was running towards me but a white flash had already begun to envelop me...

"Find me in the past!" he managed to yell before a flash of light shattered his image from my view.

FWOOSH!

I opened my eyes, once again facing the sky. It was sunny and there were no clouds in the sky.

"Huh, it's you," a voice said glumly. I whirled around. He stood cockily in front of me, hands in pockets, chin jutted forward, and head titled. _Oh my god..._

The younger Ichigo sat down beside me and I marveled at our similar sizes. We not only stood at the same height, but his hand was the same width and length as mine.

"So...do I know you?" he mumbled, his cheeks faintly pink. _Shoot, he does remember!_

"...no," I said at last, "Not for a while anyways,"

He nodded, a small smile on his lips.

"I thought so," his face turned towards me, "You...you're a time traveler right?"

"Huh?" I managed as my jaw fell open.

"How else is it do you magically keep appearing here? Yesterday, at this exact same time, you showed up for the first time lying in the precise position you are in now. You seem to know me, though I don't know you. And yesterday you vanished without a trace...there's no other explanation. You have to be from the future!" the young Ichigo exclaimed, certain he was right.

"Uh...well, kind of, I guess," I said after a moment. _How old is he? I never thought about asking him earlier._

Ichigo turned red and looked away.

"Are you..uh...my girlfriend...in the future?" he said in an undertone. I blushed and stared, transfixed, at the small circles of pink appearing on Ichigo's complexion.

"Well...no..." _This is so awkward - I must be a moron. Why? Oh, why god? _

"Hmph." Ichigo responded. "Am I stupid in the future? Why doesn't the future me like you? I...I like you." The last part was a whisper, but I couldn't believe my ears. To make it worse, my heart started tripping as if the older Ichigo had said those words.

"I..haven't told him yet." I replied. The younger Ichigo grabbed me, nearly livid with fury.

"TELL HIM- er, ME!" he cried, "I think I would want to know something as important as that." Confusion rippled through my thoughts. How was it that this kid liked me though I just met him yesterday?

"Can I ask you a question?" He stared intently at me, apparently expecting me to promise I would confess to his future self before he replied. I hesitated and the moment was enough for Ichigo to let me go and drop back down beside me. He stretched out his leg and arms and exhaled loudly.

"Why do you like me?" I said, watching him.


	3. Chapter 3

He stared at the sky calmly and closed his eyes without replying. A butterfly flew over and landed on the tip of his nose and the younger Ichigo giggled.

"I don't know...but when you kissed me yesterday, it felt like something I had already experienced for ages, and had been waiting for ever since the day I was born. I feel like I know you." He propped himself up, brown eyes gently simmering with fondness.

"I feel like you are who I need," Ichigo said as he stroked my hair, "Something I cannot live without." The last word said, Ichigo immediately darkened a crimson red and hung his head in embarrassment. I laughed and ruffled his hair.

"I wish I could hear you say that in the future," I said, "But thank you...that was a nice confession."

Scowling, he pounced over me and trapped me with his hands.

"A nice confession? Don't you feel the same way?" he growled, eyes blazing. I stared up, surprised at his passion.

"I..."

He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine...

FWOOSH!

As the white light receded from my vision, I found myself in the hallway, lying on my back.

"Um, what are you doing?" Ichigo stood over me, eyebrows raised. The sudden change from the young Ichigo to the older Ichigo caught me by surprise and I incidentally found myself appreciating his strong jawline and broad shoulders.

Ichigo seemed to feel uncomfortable under my stare, as he looked away and rubbed his neck.

"Rukia...can you stop staring at me..." A faint blush lit Ichigo's face.

I looked down in embarrassment, "Yeah...sorry..."

"Rukia!" I turned and saw Urahara standing behind me. "We need to talk,"

_Does he know...?_ Ichigo picked me off the ground effortlessly and shoved me towards Urahara.

"Make sure she doesn't end up sleeping on the floor again, please, Urahara-san."

Ichigo turned back towards me and smiled, before walking away, his lean form shining in the moonlight. Warmth spread through my body as I replayed the smile and the turn of his head...

"Rukia-chan, this is important. Are you jumping to that past?" Urahara hissed in my ear.

I jumped.

"How did you now?" I hissed back, my body tingling from the surprise. He smirked.

"You mean aside from the constant fainting? Lucky guess," he said with a grin. I rolled my eyes and showed him the moon tattoo.

"What's going on? Can you fix this? Ever since I got this at the moon festival..." I trailed off as Urahara paled. He grabbed my wrist.

"This! What is this? WHO GAVE YOU THIS? Rukia? RUKIA!"

I had already vanished in white light.


	4. Chapter 4

My eyes slowly opened, but this time I didn't feel relaxed. A slight pain vibrated in my bones and I touched my head. It hurt. As I looked at my hand, I realized it was soaked in blood.

"Oh no..."

"Hey! HEY!" I weakly turned around to see the younger Ichigo rushing towards me.

"What happened? Why are you bleeding?" As he gathered me up in his arms, my eyelids began to droop.

"HEY! You can't die!" His tears dropped on my face, "Please tell me what happened!"

I shook my head. _I don't know what's happening either..._

"You don't know? Dammit! What's your name? I need your name!" he shrieked. My vision was blurring and it was hard to stay awake now.

"Kuchiki...Rukia..." I whispered.

The chirping of birds and the hum of the AC slowly woke me... I opened my eyes to see a white ceiling.

"Rukia!" Ichigo cried, jumping up from the chair beside the bed. He sank down with relief as I turned towards him. "Thank god...you're okay.."

I couldn't help but smile.

"You know, you're much more emotional than the Ichigo I know," I whispered. He scowled and turned away, but I could see his ears were red.

"It's just that... I've never met anyone like you," he mumbled. _Hmm, perhaps kissing him was too much_, I thought.

"Rukia?" I turned my head and nearly jumped out of the bed. Kisuke Urahara stood by the doorway. "Ah, so it is you. I thought so, but I just had to be sure..."

I whirled on the younger Ichigo.

"How do you know _him_?" _Wasn't Urahara someone Ichigo only knew because of me?_ He shrugged.

"I don't really - I just know he operates this store. It was the closest place at the time..."

Urahara smacked Ichigo on the head with his fan.

"You talk too much. Please leave while I talk to Rukia-chan for a moment," Urahara said lazily. Ichigo scowled and left the room with a slight backward glance at me. I smiled at him and he relaxed.

As soon as the door shut, Urahara turned to me.

"You came from the future, didn't you Rukia-san?" He looked at me carefully. "Not only do you seem older, but it seems..." Urahara suddenly shook his head.

"Never mind. The important thing is," he tapped my wrist, "this thing."

I recalled the horror in Urahara's face and wondered why he didn't seem as worried as then.

"Yeah...I got it at a moon festival celebration," I explained, "Ever since then, I've been jumping back and forth in time."

Urahara nodded knowingly.

"Let me ask you a question. Are you in love with someone right now?" he said, his eyes hidden beneath the pin-wheeled hat.

Surprise colored my face. Why did he need to know that?

"Because that tattoo you have there is known as the Moon's Tear, and is a bit of both a curse and a blessing - it depends on the user." He grabbed my wrist and pointed at the moon.

"But you should be careful...you're running out of time, Rukia-san," he said. "If you don't complete the requirements of the spell, then what you just experienced is only the beginning."

My hand shot to my forehead and I realized it was wrapped with bandages.

"Yes, that's right. You'll suffer headaches, bleeding, pain...and eventually death. Each time jump will take a heavier toll on your body," he explained. A chill had crept through the room.

"Then what do I need to do to stop them?" I said, my voice tense with anxiety.

Urahara shrugged. "That's the thing - it's different for every person. For you to be given this tattoo, there must be a reason...I would suggest you recall the conditions of the night you went to the moon festival..."

White light crept into my vision and I reached out to Urahara.

"Wait! How-"

FWOOSH!

I blacked out.

"_Rukia-chan! Rukia-chan! Look at that! It's so pretty! Can we go look at it?" Inoue begged me as she pointed at the small booth with a crescent moon painted on its sign._

"_All right, if you want to," I said helplessly as the girl dragged me away. I turned back towards Ichigo and the group. He shot me an amused smile with an expression that said, 'do you want me to rescue you?'_

_I rolled my eyes and waved goodbye with a grin._

"_Oooh, look at this! Fortune telling!" Inoue suddenly shrieked, interrupting my cool wave-off to Ichigo._

_I bent down, fascinated by a particular sentence._

"_We can tell you what you want the most - a 100% guarantee!" I read aloud. _

_Inoue and I exchanged disbelieving looks and suddenly, the curtain was swept aside. I was stunned. The woman, tall and striking, was beautiful in a mystical sense. She had dark, Arabian-like skin and decorated jewels across her body. Resting on her head was a silver tiara with a pearl embedded in the center._

"_Whoa... so beautiful," Inoue murmured in amazement. _

"_Hello ladies...do you wish to have your fortune and your greatest desire read?"_

"_YES!" Inoue burst out without waiting for my opinion. The lady smiled charmingly and welcomed us into her tent._

_She sat down on the puffy cushion and brought out a bowl of crystal clear water. It was still and as I peered over, I saw my reflection. Suddenly, she dropped in a gem stone, and ripples vibrated across the surface._

_I looked up to find her eyes on me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up._

"_Would you like to go first...?" she said in a silky voice. I felt my heart pound as Inoue shoved me forward._

_The lady motioned for me to sit down in front of her. I did as told and she dipped her hand in the water, swirling it around and causing the gem stone to float around lightly. As it swirled around, I began to feel drowsy. The air felt thicker and my sense had dulled a great deal._

"_Your heart has a strong emotion...it's a burning desire you greatly deny exists," the lady abruptly murmured. "In truth, you are not the only one who denies this shared feeling... One whose heart shines with the deepest courage and pride with a wish to protect those he loves also denies it..." Her eyes suddenly snapped open._

"_Ah..I see. It is that situation," She drew forward and gave me a mysterious smile._

"_Would you like me to offer you an opportunity?" I blinked my eyes slowly and without thinking, nodded..._

"AHHHHH!" I screamed, jumping up from the bed. Ichigo stared at me in surprise, frozen as my scream broke off midway.

"Um.. are you okay?" His eyes suddenly became heavy. "You were...bleeding a lot when they found you. What happened to you, Rukia? You've been acting strangely recently, and now you're injured." He turned his back to me as he soaked the wash cloth in water.

I looked around and realized I was in the 4th division's care. Ichigo turned to me and gently wiped my face with the wash cloth. His strong fingers steadily cleansed the blood away from my face. As he worked, I found myself looking at his eyes.

"Ichigo..."

He looked at me.

I touched his face and leaned forward, my lips pressing against his.

"I love you,"

His face was stiff as I caressed his face in my hand, inhaling his musky scent, but suddenly he dropped the wash cloth and ran his fingers through my hair gently. Ichigo's tongue swam through my mouth and I burned with heat. His hair was so soft...

Pulling back, Ichigo's dark eyes bore into me intensely.

"No - wait. Why are you hurt? What's going on?"

I looked at my wrist and smiled.

"It's okay now. It won't happen anymore," I looked at him and smiled, leaning into his shoulder.

"As long as I'm with you, I'll be fine."

The moon tattoo had returned to a full moon, and instead of the bold ink lines, it was now a faded silver.


End file.
